[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4603 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4603
To posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Prince Rogers
Nelson in recognition of his achievements and contributions to the
culture of the United States.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 25, 2022
Ms. Klobuchar (for herself, Ms. Smith, and Mr. Booker) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Prince Rogers
Nelson in recognition of his achievements and contributions to the
culture of the United States.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Prince Congressional Gold Medal
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Prince Rogers Nelson (referred to in this Act as
``Prince'') was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 7,
1958, the son of jazz singer Mattie Della (nee Shaw) and
pianist and songwriter John Louis Nelson. Widely regarded as
one of the greatest musicians of his generation, Prince's
innovative music incorporated elements of rock, R&B, funk, hip-
hop, new wave, synth-pop, and jazz.
(2) Prince released 39 albums during his lifetime and
produced countless others, along with many unreleased projects
left in a vault at his home.
(3) Recognized as a musical prodigy from an early age,
Prince signed a recording contract with Warner Brothers Records
at the age of 19, writing, producing, arranging, and playing
all 27 instruments on the recording.
(4) Prince's 1984 album ``Purple Rain'' spent 6 consecutive
months as the number 1 record on the Billboard 200 chart,
spawning 5 top-10 hits, including ``When Doves Cry'' and the
title track. The film ``Purple Rain'' won Prince the Academy
Award for Best Original Song Score and, in 2019, was added by
the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film
Registry for being ``culturally, historically, or aesthetically
significant''.
(5) Prince's 1987 double album ``Sign o' the Times''
included more than 80 minutes of music almost entirely composed
and performed by Prince and would go on to become his most
acclaimed record, including being voted 1987's best album in
the Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll. In 2017, the album was inducted
into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
(6) A prolific composer, Prince wrote many songs made
famous by other musicians, including ``Nothing Compares 2 U'',
``Manic Monday'', and ``I Feel For You''.
(7) An advocate for artistic freedom and expression,
Prince--
(A) changed his name to a symbol (commonly known as
the ``Prince Symbol'') to protest the terms of his
recording contract and the recording industry's
treatment of all artists; and
(B) publicly advocated for artists to be able to
maintain ownership of their own master recordings.
(8) A lifelong Minnesota resident, Prince was a participant
in, and supporter of, the local Minneapolis arts community,
memorialized in songs like ``Uptown''.
(9) Though he did not speak publicly of his charity work,
Prince was an animal rights activist and a philanthropist.
(10) Prince sold more than 150,000,000 records worldwide,
ranking among the best selling artists of all time.
(11) Prince was one of the most acclaimed artists of all
time and he and his music were recognized as follows:
(A) Prince won 7 Grammy Awards, 7 Brit Awards, 6
American Music Awards, 4 MTV Video Music Awards, an
Academy Award for Best Original Song Score for the film
``Purple Rain'', and a Golden Globe Award.
(B) Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame in 2004, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and
the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2016.
(C) Prince received the BET Lifetime Achievement
Award in 2010.
(D) In 2016, Prince was posthumously honored with a
doctor of humane letters by the University of
Minnesota.
(E) Two of Prince's albums, ``Purple Rain'' and
``Sign o' the Times'', received nominations for the
Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
(F) At the 28th Grammy Awards, Prince was awarded
the President's Merit Award.
(G) Prince was honored with the American Music
Award for Achievement and the American Music Award of
Merit at the American Music Awards of 1990 and 1995,
respectively.
(H) At the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, Prince was
honored with the Billboard Icon Award.
(12) Prince transcended this earthly plane on April 21,
2016, in his Minnesota home, at 57 years of age, leaving behind
a legacy of musical achievement and an indelible mark on
Minnesota and the culture of the United States.
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make
appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of
Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration of
Prince, in recognition of his achievements and contributions to the
culture of the United States.
(b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation referred
to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in
this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a gold medal with suitable
emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.
(c) Smithsonian Institution.--
(1) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal in
honor of Prince under subsection (a), the gold medal shall be
given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be--
(A) available for display, as appropriate; and
(B) made available for research.
(2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medal received
under paragraph (1) available for display, particularly at the
National Museum of African American History and Culture, or for
loan, as appropriate, so that the gold medal may be displayed
elsewhere, particularly at other appropriate locations
associated with the life of Prince.
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold
medal struck pursuant to section 3 under such regulations as the
Secretary may prescribe, at a price sufficient to cover the cost
thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and
overhead expenses.
SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS.
(a) National Medals.--The medals struck under this Act are national
medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
(b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of sections 5134 and 5136 of
title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be
considered to be numismatic items.
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